The Real Notre Dame Scandal

Less than a day into the Manti Te’o revelations, we’ve heard more about a fake dead girlfriend of a Notre Dame football player than a real dead girl. Lizzy Seeberg committed suicide, not long after being intimidated by Notre Dame football players for reporting a sexual assault by one of their teammates. A second woman who was taken to the hospital for a rape exam declined to formally accuse another Notre Dame football player after getting a series of bullying texts from players.

The handful of people who immediately took note of the contrast in the attention — both by the press and by the university — are absolutely right to be angry. But no one should be surprised.

[…]

We all have heard by now how denial and institutional culture contributed to Jerry Sandusky’s ability to continue assaulting young boys for years, under cover of the Penn State football program. But once that was exposed, it was rightly considered an unambiguous evil. The sexual assault of women can and is often explained away — including the Notre Dame donor who justified his continued support to Henneberger by saying that Seeberg had been sexually aggressive, that “she was all over the boy.” In other words, it’s not just the players who are banding together around their brothers whether they’re rapists or not; it’s the adults around them who are turning a blind eye because they consider other things more important. And they’re willing to believe anything except that these nice boys can be rapists.

Whether or not Te’o was in on the con, the media went out of its way to spread a myth that held up about as well a “Hack Heaven” under inspection. Combined with the general Notre Dame hype machine that gets bad coaches books written about them if they can have one decent year against a tomato can schedule, it very nearly got a good-not-great interior linebacker the Heisman Trophy. When it comes to accusations of sexual assault that are actually credible and have resulted in the death of at least one woman, alas, the ethos reflected by Gene “I print what Notre Dame tells me to irrespective of whether the story makes sense or has any independent verification” Wojciechowski is equally strong in the sports media. Despite the immense coverage Notre Dame receives, as Nicky Santoro would say when it comes to something that might be important somehow somebody’s always lookin’ the other way. And once revealed by some journalists who were actually doing their job, the relatively harmless scandal will still get vastly more attention than the ones involving sexual assault, intimidation, and suicide.

…see also Katie Baker. In context the blubbering about how Te’o was a “victim” is pretty hard to stomach.

I’m shocked, SHOCKED, that the man bites dog story is getting more coverage.

John

I think it’s a reasonable point to say that it’s wrong that the original, false, “Manti Te’o has a dead girlfriend” story got more attention than the rape allegations (although I have no idea if that’s true).

I don’t think it’s reasonable to say that it’s wrong that the bizarre story of a ludicrous hoax is getting more attention than the depressingly familiar story of college athletes sexually assaulting women. Of course the ludicrous hoax will get more attention! It’s a fascinating and bizarre story.

JKTHs

I for one care much more about fake dead people than real dead people.

“Whether or not Te’o was in on the con, the media went out of its way to spread a myth that held up about as well a “Hack Heaven” under inspection.”

That’s definitely the bigger story, and obviously the one that won’t get nearly as much attention. ESPN, Sports Illustrated, NBC, et al didn’t so much as try to find a friend of hers from Stanford, a family member, nothing. It was too good to check. Whether Te’o was massively naive (possible if unlikely) or scamming everyone (a behavior for which the extrovert pious are well noted), he’s still just a very young football player who became nationally famous at an age when most of are probably glad we weren’t. Those big media hype machines (who, by the way, are the ones that actually profited off of this) are run by adults who don’t have even the flimsiest of excuses.

They are the guys at the end of the bar at your neighborhood tavern with slightly better writing skills and greater drive to share in the reflected sports glory up close and personal.

They are part of the entertainment package. If you understand that, the rest of the pattern in this situation and others (like HoF voting, etc.) makes perfect sense.

The only thing you need to keep political, business, or sports writers in line is a good free buffet, unlimited coffee, wifi, and comfortable accommodations when they have to travel with the candidate, CEO, or sports team.

Writing about a rape case within a prominent football program gets you hate mail while writing saccharine sweet hagiographies wins you awards and book deals. In addition, as we’ve seen, nobody checks the facts of hagiographies… whereas taking a stand on a criminal case means you can be proven wrong… very publicly.

CashandCable

While the quality of Manti Te’o’s play can be debated, he was definitely an inside linebacker, not an “interior lineman”.

Scott Lemieux

Whoops, of course, will correct. (Lineman is actually a high-impact position!)

John Protevi

Next thing you know, you’ll want us to talk about Haloti Ngata as well as Ray “ZOMG he had 13 tackles in a scheme dedicated to keeping blockers off him” Lewis.

B from STL

Longtime reader…blah, blah, blah…
The amount of stupid in this post is crazy! Te’o played interior lineman?! Really Scott? Tomato can schedule? Really?
I was in the PO, at the time. The reporting of Zirin and Carmone is completely wrong on what occurred in the Seeburg case.
I understand big-time football and I understand the power it has in a community like South Bend…but I would like to believe that you all would at least not comment on something you have no clue about…
I also have no clue about T’eo…I cannot tell you what went done there(its crazy and has to many inconsistencies). But I can affirmatively say that the reporting of Henneberger and others has been slanted, agenda-driven, and quite honestly, full of crap.
You would think that a football program that has the highest GSR in the country should be celebrated…pretty weak sauce here, Scott.
I think you are better than this….

witless chum

If your going to impugn their reporting, maybe you should favor us with the nickel version of what’s wrong with it?

Scott Lemieux misidentified his position on the football field! WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED???

John

Okay, bad Notre Dame coaches with books written about their good records against weak schedules.

1. Charlie Weis, 2005

Notre Dame beat 3 ranked teams: Pittsburgh (finished the season unranked with a 5-6 record), Michigan (finished the season an unranked 7-5 with a big upset against Penn State and some other okay wins), and Purdue (finished the season 5-6 with no wins over ranked teams). Notre Dame also lost to actual good teams USC and Ohio State, and to highly mediocre Michigan State. The other teams it beat are Washington (2-9), BYU (6-6), Tennessee (5-6), Navy (7-4, but with a very weak schedule), Syracuse (1-10), and Stanford (5-6).

So the only bowl bound teams Notre Dame beat were Michigan (who had an underwhelming year), BYU (who did not have a winning record), and Navy (super week schedule). They beat no teams who were ranked at the end of the season. How is that not a tomato can schedule?

witless chum

John L. Smith (who coached that MSU team John is being kind in describing) just accepted the head coaching job at Division II Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO.

Joshua

I agree with that (the Charlie Weis talk that year was so insane I remember it vividly), but ND’s schedule this year was actually pretty good.

witless chum

Yeah, credit where its due for scheduling Oklahoma, especially. According to Sagarin, it was comparably difficult to Bama’s schedule.

Anonymous

You would think that a football program that has the highest GSR in the country should be celebrated

Yea verily, for what is institutional responsibility for rape, suicide and manslaughter compared to a high graduation rate?

jesus christ

rea

Penn State also used to boast about its high graduation rate.

TribalistMeathead

Christ, if only the list of reasons Penn State Nation came up with to ignore the Sandusky affair began and ended with its high graduation rate. This Onion article is pretty damn close to accurate:

Polanski’s Law: for every allegation of rape, there will be an equal and opposite expression of profound disappointment from someone who just wishes we would all be more suspicious of the motivations of everyone involved.

sharculese

But for real, why I am supposed to some random dude who can’t even be bothered to speak in complete thoughts over Irin Carmon, a reporter whose work has always been of high quality?

spencer

Tomato can schedule? Really?

I don’t know about previous years, but it was sure as shit true last season. They played a Big-10-heavy schedule (that didn’t include Ohio State), USC, Pittsburgh, and would have lost to Stanford if the officiating had been even the slightest bit competent.

John Protevi

I was in the PO, at the time. The reporting of Zirin and Carmone is completely wrong on what occurred in the Seeburg case.

But I won’t tell you what really happened in “the Seeburg case” because it’s double top secret classified and I would have to kill you if I told you, that’s how much an insider I am.

Karate Bearfighter

I’m not sure what he would have learned about Seeberg by working in the post office.

But seriously, what are the odds that this guy says anything other than “She was a real crazy bitch out to get a football player and couldn’t handle it when he didn’t love her back”? It’s probably for the best that he didn’t say any more.

John Protevi

Those odds are indeed vanishingly small.

B from STL

No. I’m not going to impugn a dead girl. There are reasons why charges were not brought. And no, I don’t feel as if I have to tell you about the case. I would asume you all know why…

What I did say:

I think the reporting has been shit on this whole thing.
I am pointing that out and I am also saying that Scott obviously did not write this in a thorough way…

And no, I do not condone the assault of females but thanks for implying that- Anonymous-if that is your real name,…I was pointing out that Notre Dame graduates their students.

Well, yes, to the untrained eye I’m eating an orange, but to the eye that has brains, I’m making a point about evil lying bitches out to ruin our noble football youths.

B from STL

eye that has brains…quite a turn of phrase.

B from STL

Well, I am interested to see how the consolidated head injury cases will play out with the NFL. Sully has had a recurring series on traumatic brain injuries and football players.
Even then I don’t think football will be over in this country.
I think you can draw interesting comparisons between the SEC, the solidarity that conference feels, its focus on football and confederacy.
Only outlaws will play football, etc.

B from STL

*the Confederacy

sharculese

Ya, I recently read a pretty interesting discussion of the subject moderated by a sports historian name of Nonse Quitur.

TheStone

Gotta head to work now, but still waiting for the site search to turn up results on “oversigning.”

Ignoring the fact that I’m 90% certain we’re being trolled (although why and for what reason I’m not clear on), isn’t that what you’re asking us to do? Believe what you’re saying (or at the very least assume it must have some basis in fact) despite your complete lack of credibility?

Your half-assed snark does not advance the argument you seem to want it to.

Anonymous

He hasn’t even made any claims.

He thinks the on-line equivalent of eyebrow-wriggling, theatrical coughing, and sticking the index finger of one hand in the hole of the other at a dead woman is enough to convince us of Lying Bitchez.

sharculese

He thinks the on-line equivalent of eyebrow-wriggling, theatrical coughing, and sticking the index finger of one hand in the hole of the other at a dead woman is enough to convince us of Lying Bitchez.

*phraseology phistbump*

DrDick

Sadly, this is not unique to Notre Dame, but reflects a broader problem with the way big time collegiate athletics is treated both by the institutions and by the press.

Crackity Jones

The real story is the fake girlfriend was used to cover up the fact that he’s gay. Has there been an openly gay college football star? Imagine one at Notre Dame.

NonyNony

If this actually turns out to be true, he’ll gain a lot of sympathy from a number of places.

Also – the “gay Mormon Notre Dame player fakes a girlfriend to hide his sexuality” storyline will be produced as a movie that wins more Oscars than anything ever previously produced.

NonyNony

Although to add – if this is true, he’s a moron. This is probably the worst way to fake an internet girlfriend to hide something. Better to have a fake “big fight” and then tell people she’s left him if he needs to end it than fake a death. It might eventually come out anyway, but you’re far less likely that anyone – even Gawker Inc. – would bother looking into “college football player dumps/gets dumped by girlfriend” than looking into whether the “inspiring story” of his grandmother and girlfriend both dying in the same day and him rising to the challenge and playing anyway was actually true or not.

witless chum

Somehow I think Mante “huge football star at ND” Te’o could recruit a walking, talking lady to play his beard, if he was so inclined. If this was part of a closet, it’s a really, really stupid part. Like those according doors at my old apartment that never stayed on their track and scared the cat half to death with their horrible sounds.

It occurred to me while reading the story yesterday, but Deadspin highlighted reporting today about his teammates thinking it was all crap. Not to this extent, necessarily, but they had “the feeling that Manti didn’t deserve to benefit from publicity from the death of somebody he barely knew” and knew “he has had relations with other girls during his time at Notre Dame.”

JBJ

Nice job by Deadspin. I wonder if Buzz Bissinger will weigh in with his thoughts on the Te’o matter.

sharculese

Ding dang internet with they’re goldurned yahoos and googles. in my day we just screamed at a story until it revealed all the details.

firefall

as most people still do, really

TheStone

Doubt it. Buzzinger strikes me as the kind of d-bag who wastes no time in jumping in on any dogpile w/ ND at the bottom.

Scott Lemieux

In fairness, Bissinger, who is a real journalist and not some shitty blogger,saw through Lance Armstrong immediately.

TheStone

I got it Scott. Forgot the laughing emoticon (haha). In any event, Buzz’s recent firing from his radio gig will complicate getting his take on events.

OT: our old friend Treason-In-Defense-Of-Slavery Yankee is helpfully informing us that right-wing freedom fighters are capable of patriotically blowing up their fellow Americans’ electric utilities in response to new murder toy regulations.

rea

You know, this is a bit unfair–Te’o, as far as we know, did not sexually assault anyone or cover up a sexual assault. Te’o had nothing to do with Lizzy Seeberg–evaluate the two cases seperately and on their own merits. Do not say what this post appears to be suggesting, that Te’o is less credible because of the Seeberg case.

Hogan

Can you point me to where specifically Scott or Carmon makes that suggestion?

Cody

I think you misread something in the post, or came away with a completely different interpretation from all of us.

It got from this article that what Manti Te’o did was awful, but who cares when compared to an actual girl getting raped and/or committing suicide?

Scott Lemieux

Do not say what this post appears to be suggesting, that Te’o is less credible because of the Seeberg case.

What the fuck?

Slocum

Yeah, its really hard to rape an imaginary girlfriend. But, who knows? Its Notre Dame–miracles can happen.

CaptBackslap

Bomani Jones talks about the rape coverup for awhile amidst his episode about the whole Te’o episode (at The Evening Jones).